"Still worth a read."
When he reached the end, for some reason the Emperor actually felt a lingering sense of wanting more, and so he surprisingly read it through a second time. The sound of pages being gently turned rose once again within the quiet grand hall.
There were quite a few people inside the hall. Aside from the occasional crack of a candle popping, everyone held their breath and focused their minds, not making a single sound.
Su Ziji also sat off to one side, merely lowering his gaze to drink tea, seemingly unconcerned with the selection results.
Qian Wei, the chief examiner, stood calmly, while a relatively young Fourth Rank examiner felt somewhat uneasy. Standing right before the Emperor and the Imperial Grandson, he was actually the one enduring the most agonizing time.
These two figures were the current Emperor and the future Emperor—neither could be offended, yet rumors of the discord between them had gradually begun to spread.
Heaven protect me, let nothing go wrong. The Fourth Rank examiner was terrified at that moment that the two would start a dispute. If that happened, he, as the examiner, would likely bear the heaviest responsibility.
The Emperor was currently the most at ease person present. Paying no mind to how others felt, he read through the examination scroll in his hand, and the more he read, the more he liked it.
"Not bad." The Emperor even nodded after finishing, praising, "Brilliantly put. This essay is brilliantly put, it truly comforts My heart!"
The imperial system was out of the ordinary; the Emperor rarely offered personal praise, let alone an appraisal like "comforts My heart." Even Qian Wei felt a shock run through him. This was a genuine Presented Scholar, and likely the top scorer of the current examination.